Urban Stripes

I may sound like a Debbie Downer here for a moment but I’m just not that big of a fan of the January and February months of the year. While January starts off with a bang of renewed hope and promise, it’s usually during this time of the year that things start to dwindle down. Also, the weather in the mid-west tends to go from “urban winter wonderland” to “grey and cold” quickly. I become of a hermit until Spring starts to show, which in a way has it’s own benefits. I give my wallet a huge break by staying in for a few weeks.

This week though I was able to ditch my opaque tights not just once, but three times during the week. I’m a huge fan of opaque tights for the winter as you can tell from this week’s roundup of outfits, here & here. This is a huge victory for a January in Chicago, and as a result I saw my mood rise to the occasion. It’s funny how the little things, like being able to ditch a few layers of clothing, can improve your overall mood.

I still looking forward to spring and have started to take advantage of a few weekend sales that have been popping up as of late. It’s during this time of the year, the post-holiday season slump, that retailers throw out some pretty great sales. They tend to keep things a bit more low-key so signing up for those store emails is the magic ticket to grabbing some great items on sale.

A few weeks ago, my go-to online retailer ASOS had a great sale on dresses that included one of my favorite brands, Coast. I picked up this striped and floral A-line dress and love the color and pattern combination. It feels demure enough to wear in the winter yet festive enough to wear this spring/summer season.

So what are you most looking forward to this spring? Any tips on having more fun during the dreary winter months?